Periphyton sampler and method for sampling

ABSTRACT

A sampling device is disclosed which is capable of being clamped to the surface of a stone and other portable solid underwater objects to which periphytic cells adhere and which will retain the sample cells in a closed container, while the object, sampling device and cells are transported as a unit to a laboratory or other place of testing. The device includes a hollow body having a top, a bottom, and an integral annular side wall connecting top and bottom, an aperture in the bottom and a rigid tubular collar extending from the margin defining the aperture, a sealing collar surrounding the rigid collar, and adapted to sealingly engage the surface of the object being sampled with the hollow body. A stoppered access opening is provided in the top of the hollow body for inserting a cleaning implement for removing periphytic cells from the solid object. A clamp is provided for clamping the hollow body to a solid object in sealed engagement therewith.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,890,844 Gale 1 1 June 24, 1975PERIPHYTON SAMPLER AND METHOD FOR SAMPLING William F. Gale, River Rd.,Wapwallopen, Pa. 18660 Filed: July 25, 1974 Appl. No.: 491,694

[76] inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1962 Jackson et al.73/425 12/1962 Fielding 73/4215 R 6/1965 Yates et al. 73/4215 R l/1967Brundage, Jr 73/4254 R Primary ExaminerS. Clement Swisher [57] ABSTRACTA sampling device is disclosed which is capable of being clamped to thesurface of a stone and other portable solid underwater objects to whichperiphytic cells adhere and which will retain the sample cells in aclosed container, while the object, sampling device and cells aretransported as a unit to a laboratory or other place of testing. Thedevice includes a hollow body having a top, a bottom, and an integralannular side wall connecting top and bottom, an aperture in the bottomand a rigid tubular collar extending from the margin defining theaperture, a sealing collar surrounding the rigid collar, and adapted tosealingly engage the surface of the object being sampled with the hollowbody. A stoppered access opening is provided in the top of the hollowbody for inserting a cleaning implement for removing periphytic cellsfrom the solid object. A clamp is provided for clamping the hollow bodyto a solid object in sealed engagement therewith.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN24 I975 3.880.844

IIIIHIF iiilllH! PERIPHYTON SAMPLER AND METHOD FOR SAMPLING Theinvention pertains to a periphyton sampler attachable to a stone orother solid underwater object having periphytic cells adhering to it forcontaining the periphytic cells while the stone or other solid object ismoved from underwater to a laboratory where the cells are removed fromthe stone while still contained by the sampler, and subsequentlydelivered to a collection vessel.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, lightweightperiphyton sampler for use on stones, or other movable solid objects bya SCUBA diver, or person wading or snorkeling in shallow water tocontain periphytic cells adhering to the stone, or other solid object,while the stone, or other solid object is removed from the water andtransported to a laboratory where the periphytic cells are dislodged anddelivered without spillage to a collection vessel.

It is another object of the invention to provide a sampling containercomprising a hollow body having a bottom aperture which may be clampedto the surface of a stone having periphytic cells adhering to it inorder to contain the cells while the stone is being transported to alaboratory. The hollow body includes an annular seal surrounding thebottom aperture to provide a liquid tight seal between the samplingcontainer and the stone, or other solid object, from which periphyticcells are to be removed. One or more openings are provided in the top ofthe hollow body to provide access to the interior of the hollow body forinsertion of an implement, such as a brush, ultrasonic probe, and thelike, to aid in removing the periphytic cells from the object to whichthey are adhered. A drain is provided through the side wall of thehollow body to deliver the dislodged cells and water trapped in thehollow body to a collection vessel without spillage.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and suchother objects and features which may become apparent this specificationproceeds, the invention will be understood from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in whichlike characters of reference are used to designate like parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention in position for attachmentto an underwater stone;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the invention clamped to a stoneand resting on a laboratory table and conditioned to discharge a sampleinto a collection vessel;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross'sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;and

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawing, theinvention, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, includes acontainer 11 and clamping means C for clamping the container to a stone40 or other movable solid underwater object to which periphytic cellsare adhered. The container 11 comprises a hollow body having a bottom12, a top 13 and an annular side wall 14. The bottom 12 has an aperture16 therethrough which is defined by a circular margin 15. A rigidtubular'collar 17, of acrylic resin, or other rigid non-corrosivematerial has one end extending outwardly from the bottom 12 and itsother end affixed to the bottom inside the margin by a suitable adhesivesuch as an epoxy adhesive. An annular and pliable sealing collar 18, ofan elastomeric foam material, such as neoprene foam, surrounds the rigidcollar 17 and is frictionally retained thereon. One end of the sealingcollar 18 extends outwardly beyond the outer end of the collar 17 whileits other end fits tightly within the annular bottom recess 19. Theouter end of the sealing collar 18 is adapted to yield sufficiently tosealingly engage the surface of a solid object 40 having surfaceirregularities thereon. A pair of access openings 20, 20 are provided inthe top of the hollow body 11 through which a cleaning implement, suchas a brush, ultrasonic cleaning probe, or other suitable cleaningdevice, may be inserted inorder to loosen the periphytic cells adheringto the solid object 40. In FIGS. 2 and 3 an ultrasonic probe 41 is shownin outline form as it would be inserted through the opening 20 in actualuse. Rubber stoppers 21, 21 are provided to close the apertures 20, 20'during transport of the sampler and stone from underwater to alaboratory. A drain conduit 22 projects outwardly from the side wall ofthe hollow body 11 for discharging a sample of water and periphyticcells into a collecting vessel J through a flexible tube T. A centralboss 25 projecting outwardly from the top 13 of the hollow body 11 has acentral socket 26 therein in which the ball end 36 ofa clamping screw 34is rotatably mounted and secured by swaging the end 27 of the boss 25.Triangularly shaped reinforcing gussets 28 extend from the central boss25 in opposite directions to the peripherial edge of the top 13. Theinterior cavity 42 of the hollow body 11 is defined by an invertedfrusto-conical interior surface 23 which slopes inwardly and downwardlyfrom the wide top margin 24 to the smaller circular margin 15.

The container 11 may be clamped to a stone 40 by any suitable clampingmeans, including but not limited to, rubber bands, a C-clamp, and thepreferred bar clamp illustrated in the drawing. The bar clamp C includesa straight rigid bar 29, a fixed jaw 30 attached to one end of the bar29 and a sliding jaw 31. The sliding jaw 31 has a square hole 32 at oneend slidably receiving the square cross-sectioned bar 29, and a threadedbore 33 rotatably receiving the screw clamp 34. As previously stated thescrew clamp 34 has a ball end 36 rotatably attached to the container 11.At its opposite end, the screw clamp has a circular handle portion 35which may be grasped for turning the screw 34 in the desired direction.The bottom surface 45 of the fixed jaw 30 is flat so that the clamp Cwill rest in a vertical position on a table or other flat horizontalsurface 44 as shown in FIG. 2. The outer end of the jaw 30 has a cuppeddisc 37 rotatably affixed thereto by a pivot stud 38. The disc 38provides a bottom support for the stone as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.The fastening of the container 11 to the screw 34 in the sliding jaw 31by means of the ball 36 and socket 26 permits the container 11 to tiltto fit the contour of round stones, while the rubber collar 18 yields toaccommodate small irregularities on the stones surface. The lower rocksupport 37 is permitted to tilt to accommodate round stones by elevatingthe head 38' of the stud 38 about one-eighth of an inch above the jaw30, and providing an aperture 37' through the disc 37 which is slightlylarger than the diameter of the stud 38.

A rubber cap 43 is provided for removable attachment to the end of thedrain conduit 22 (See FIG. 1) so that the conduit may be closed fortrapping liquid inside the container 11.

The hollow body 11 is preferably made from light weight, non-corrosivematerials, such as a molded aluminum magnesium alloy. Also the clamp Cis of light weight construction and may be made from the same materialas the hollow body 11.

The term periphyton, which appears herein, is used in accordance withthe definition appearing in Collegiate Dictionary of Zoology" by RobertW. Pennak (l964) Ronald Press, Co., New York, P. 583, to include entireassemblage of organisms (mostly microscopic) on submerged objects inaquatic environments. A periphytic cell, is a single celled organismbelonging to the periphyton group.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In use the periphyton sample is taken to theplace where sample periphytic cells are to be found, usually at thebottom of a body of water, such as a stream, river, lake and shallowbays and lagoons which are accessible to a diver. A stone or other solidobject, on the bottom of the body of water which has periphytic cellsthereon is selected and the clamp C is adjusted so that the selectedsolid object 40 may be placed between the fixed jaw 30 and the container11. Once the selected solid object is placed between the fixed jaw 30and the container 11, the sliding jaw 31 is moved toward the fixed jaw30 until the container 11 is seated on the solid object 40. The handle35 of the screw clamp 34 is then turned in the direction of the arrow 42in FIG. 1. to force the container 11 against the solid object 40. In sodoing the sliding jaw 31 will cant relative to the bar 29 and be lockedin a fixed position as opposite top and bottom edges of the jaw 31surrounding the square hole 32 grip the bar. It will be understood thatthe square hole 32 is sufficiently loose on the bar 29 to permit easysliding of the jaw 31 relative to the bar 29, and to per mit slightcanting of the jaw relative to the bar for the purpose of locking thejaw in a fixed position when a canting force is applied to the jaw byscrewing the screw clamp 34 against a stone located between the fixedjaw 30 and the container 11.

Once the container 11 is clamped against the stone 40, the operatormakes sure that the stoppers 21, 21' are in place in the top accessholes 20, and that a closure cap 43 is in place over the outer end ofthe drain conduit 22. The stone and container 11 with a sample of waterand periphytic cells trapped inside of the container 11 are then removedfrom the body of water in which the stone was found and transported to alaboratory or other suitable station for further han dling. In thelaboratory the clamp C with stone 40 and container 11 vertically stackedon top of the jaw are placed on a flat surface 44 in the positionillustrated in FIG. 1. The stopper 21 and 21 either one or both may thenbe removed without spilling the sample, and an implement 41 may beinserted inside the container 11 through one of the access openings 20,20' to assist in removing the periphytic cells from the surface of thestone 40. For purpose of illustration the cleaning implement 41 is anultrasonic vibrations are able to dislodge periphytic cells located deepwithin the pores of the stone. Other cleaning implements such as a brushor scraper which are capable of removing the periphytic cells from thesurface of the stone 40 may be used in lieu of the ultrasonic probe. Thedrain tube T, leading to a collection reservior J, is attached to thedrain conduit 22 before cleaning of the stones surface begins. Theultrasonic cleaner tip 41 is cooled by a fine mist of water that spraysforth continually while the tip is vibrating. During cleaning, waterinside the container 11 overflows periodically into the reservoir J. Itis helpful to get rid of dislodged particles, which cloud the water, ascleaning proceeds so that the surface of the rock can be observed.

When a brush is used to dislodge periphyton the inside of the container11 is periodically flushed out with a squirt bottle so that the surfaceof the stone can be viewed. The flushing liquid and periphytic cellsflow by gravity from the container 11 into the collection vessel J. Oncethe periphytic cells and liquid are collected in the vessel J, samplesmay be taken at will for examination under a microscope, or for othertests.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown a preferredembodiment of the invention, various modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A periphyton sampler for underwater use by SCUBA divers on stones andother solid underwater objects to collect periphytic cells and the likefrom the solid object being sampled comprising a rigid hollow bodymember having a top, a bottom and an integral connecting side wall, anaperture through said bottom defined by a circular margin, a rigidcylindrical collar having one end extending outwardly from said bottomand its other end affixed to the bottom inside said margin, a pliablesealing collar surrounding said rigid collar frictionally retainedthereon, said sealing collar having one end extending outwardly beyondsaid one end of said rigid collar in order to sealingly engage with thesurface of a solid object having surface irregularities thereon, atleast one opening in said top to permit the access of a cleaningimplement inside of said hollow body to aid in removing periphytic cellsfrom said stone, a stopper for closing said top opening, a conduitextending through said side wall for draining a sample from the hollowbody, and means for clamping said hollow body to a solid object withsaid'sealing collar engaged in sealing relationship to the surface ofsaid solid object.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said clamping means is a barclamp having one straight rigid bar, a fixed clamping jaw extending atright angles to said rigid bar, a sliding clamping jaw slidably mountedon said rigid bar and extending parallel to said fixed jaw, a screwthreaded bore extending through said sliding jaw at its one end remotefrom said rigid bar said bore being parallel to said rigid bar, and ascrew clamp extending through said threaded bore and rotatably engagedtherein, said screw clamp having one end rotatably engaged with the topof said hollow body and a handle on its end remote from said one end forscrewing said clamp to move the hollow body toward and away from saidfixed jaw.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein said sealing collar is madefrom foamed elastomeric material.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein said bottom has an annularrecess surrounding said rigid collar and said sealing collar is seatedin said annular recess.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the side wall of' said hollowbody has an interior surface which is an inverted frusto conical shape,sloping inwardly and downwardly from a relatively wide top margin tosaid circular margin defining said bottom aperture.

6. A method for collecting periphytic cells attached to stones or othersolid underwater objects comprising providing a sampling containerhaving a bottom aperture, a seal surrounding the bottom aperture, adrain conduit for draining liquid from the container, at least oneaccess opening in the top of the container, and removable closures forthe drain conduit and access opening, selecting an underwater stonehaving attached periphytic cells, positioning the container over thestone with the seal in contact with the stone, clamping the container tothe stone in the latter position, closing the drain and access openingto trap liquid inside the container and to contain the periphytic cellson the stone under the access opening, transporting the stone andcontainer with trapped sample liquid and periphytic cells fromunderwater to a work station above water where the container issupported in an upright position, opening the access opening andinserting an implement through the access opening for dislodging theperiphytic cells from the stone, dislodging the cells by use of thedislodging implement, opening the drain conduit and draining the trappedliquid and dislodged periphytic cells from the sampling container into acollection vessel.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein an ultrasonic cleaning probeis used for dislodging the periphytic cells from the stone.

8. A periphyton sampler for use underwater to collect periphytic cellsand the like which are adhered to the surface of a movableunderwatersolid object, such as a stone, comprising a container having atop, a bottom, and an integral connecting side wall, an aperture throughsaid bottom providing an open passage from the interior of the containeroutwardly, a seal secured to said bottom and surrounding said aperture,an access opening in the vicinity of the top of said container providingaccess for an implement to be inserted into the container for dislodgingperiphytic cells from the solid object, a drain conduit for draining aliquid sample containing periphytic cells from inside said containerinto a collection vessel, and means for closing said drain conduit andsaid access opening when said container is positioned with its bottomaperture adjacent and overlying a portion of the surface of said solidobject with the seal in contact with said surface and providing a fluidtight connection between the container and said

1. A periphyton sampler for underwater use by SCUBA divers on stones andother solid underwater objects to collect periphytic cells and the likefrom the solid object being sampled comprising a rigid hollow bodymember having a top, a bottom and an integral connecting side wall, anaperture through said bottom defined by a circular margin, a rigidcylindrical collar having one end extending outwardly from said bottomand its other end affixed to the bottom inside said margin, a pliablesealing collar surrounding said rigid collar frictionally retainedthereon, said sealing collar having one end extending outwardly beyondsaid one end of said rigid collar in order to sealingly engage with thesurface of a solid object having surface irregularities thereon, atleast one opening in said top to permit the access of a cleaningimplement inside of said hollow body to aid in removing periphytic cellsfrom said stone, a stopper for closing said top opening, a conduitextending through said side wall for draining a sample from the hollowbody, and means for clamping said hollow body to a solid object withsaid sealing collar engaged in sealing relationship to the surface ofsaid solid object.
 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein saidclamping means is a bar clamp having one straight rigid bar, a fixedclamping jaw extending at right angles to said rigid bar, a slidingclamping jaw slidably mounted on said rigid bar and extending parallelto said fixed jaw, a screw threaded bore extending through said slidingjaw at its one end remote from said rigid bar said bore being parallelto said rigid bar, and a screw clamp extending through said threadedbore and rotatably engaged therein, said screw clamp having one endrotatably engaged with the top of said hollow body and a handle on itsend remote from said one end for screwing said clamp to move the hollowbody toward and away from said fixed jaw.
 3. The device according toclaim 1 wherein said sealing collar is made from foamed elastomericmaterial.
 4. The device according to claim 1 wherein said bottom has anannular recess surrounding said rigid collar and said sealing collar isseated in said annular recess.
 5. The device according to claim 1wherein the side wall of said hollow body has an interior surface whichis an inverted frusto conical shape, sloping inwardly and downwardlyfrom a relatively wide top margin to said circular margin defining saidbottom aperture.
 6. A method for collecting periphytic cells attached tostones or other solid underwater objects comprising providing a samplingcontainer having a bottom aperture, a seal surrounding the bottomaperture, a drain conduit for draining liquid from the container, atleast one access opening in the top of the container, and removableclosures for the drain conduit and access opening, selecting anunderwater stone having attached periphytic cells, positioning thecontainer over the Stone with the seal in contact with the stone,clamping the container to the stone in the latter position, closing thedrain and access opening to trap liquid inside the container and tocontain the periphytic cells on the stone under the access opening,transporting the stone and container with trapped sample liquid andperiphytic cells from underwater to a work station above water where thecontainer is supported in an upright position, opening the accessopening and inserting an implement through the access opening fordislodging the periphytic cells from the stone, dislodging the cells byuse of the dislodging implement, opening the drain conduit and drainingthe trapped liquid and dislodged periphytic cells from the samplingcontainer into a collection vessel.
 7. The method according to claim 6wherein an ultrasonic cleaning probe is used for dislodging theperiphytic cells from the stone.
 8. A periphyton sampler for useunderwater to collect periphytic cells and the like which are adhered tothe surface of a movable underwater solid object, such as a stone,comprising a container having a top, a bottom, and an integralconnecting side wall, an aperture through said bottom providing an openpassage from the interior of the container outwardly, a seal secured tosaid bottom and surrounding said aperture, an access opening in thevicinity of the top of said container providing access for an implementto be inserted into the container for dislodging periphytic cells fromthe solid object, a drain conduit for draining a liquid samplecontaining periphytic cells from inside said container into a collectionvessel, and means for closing said drain conduit and said access openingwhen said container is positioned with its bottom aperture adjacent andoverlying a portion of the surface of said solid object with the seal incontact with said surface and providing a fluid tight connection betweenthe container and said surface.